new housing project is a class apart

www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk
North Lanarkshire News No. 70, September 2010
No. 70 September 2010
1
www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk
ENJOYING THE
GREAT OUTDOORS
2010 INTERNATIONAL
YEAR OF BIODIVERSITY
New DVD promotes the
benefits of playing outside...P7
Celebrating the variety of
life in North Lanarkshire...P3
ALSO INSIDE
Jordan Lafferty,
Kiera Lafferty and
Kenny Cairns at
Our Lady and St
Joseph’s church
garden in Glenboig,
one of the stop off
points for Beautiful
Scotland judges.
Doors of opportunity
The brand new Ravenscraig
Regional Sports Facility opens its
doors later this month for a huge
sporting weekend...page 4
New library times
Book lovers now have an extra
50-hours library time thanks to a
change in the opening hours...
page 4
The Word is out
A blooming good start!
Beautiful Scotland judges arrive in
North Lanarkshire...full story P3
New housing project is a class apart
20 homes planned in £2.2m project on the site
of the former Cambusnethan Primary School
by Fiona Shaw
Work has started on 20 new
council houses in Cambusnethan,
part of our £80 million Building
for the Future programme.
The former Cambusnethan
Primary School site is being
developed to provide 12 twobedroom terraced and semidetached bungalows and eight
two-bedroom cottage flats. All of
the homes will be designated as
amenity housing for older people.
Councillor Barry McCulloch,
Convener of Housing and Social
Work Services, marked the start
of the work at a sod cutting
ceremony. He said: “It is always
pleasing to see the benefit of
the council’s investment in local
communities, but more so here in
Cambusnethan where a site that
has served the local community as
a school for many years will now
provide much needed homes for
local people to live in.
“This is the start of our second
Councillor Barry McCulloch,
Convener of Housing and Social
Work and Elaine McHugh, Head
of Housing Services join local
councillors at the sod cutting in
Cambusnethan.
location for high quality, new
housing as part of our Building
for the Future programme. This
includes plans for 500 new homes
over five years. It will deliver
new homes that are warm, safe,
accessible and sustainable and
provide a much-needed boost
CONTINUED – PAGE 2
Lanarkshire’s premier
literary festival, Words
2010, announces
its October line-up,
including Alan Warner,
award-winning author
of Morvern Callar...page 4
Let the Games begin!
The one-year countdown to the
Lanarkshire 2011 International
Children’s Games begins at the
Scottish Parliament... Page 6
‘Snake’ path opens
A fully accessible path for walkers,
cyclists and wheelchair users is
snaking its way from Craighalbert
to Craigmarloch...page 6
Turning on the style
young people get the chance to
strut their stuff and learn more
about health, drug and alcohol
issues at a special fashion show at
The Mega Bar...page 8
2
North Lanarkshire News No. 70, September 2010
Contacting us
online
Provost’s plaudits
www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk
NorthLine
General enquiries
01698 403200
Punch the Crunch hotline
01698 403150
Environmental services 01698 403110
(Reporting roads, paths, lighting faults,
abandoned vehicles, pest control problems,
cleansing enquiries, including special uplifts)
Antisocial behaviour helpline 01698 403222
Bookings
01698 403120
(Community centres, parks and Civic Theatre)
Telephone payments
01698 403130
(Accepting payments for council tax and rent)
RECRUITMENT
www.nothlanarkshire.gov.uk /jobs
First Stop Shops
Airdrie
10 Bank Street, Airdrie
Bellshill
26 Motherwell Road
Coatbridge
126-130 Main Street
Cumbernauld
2/4 Forth Walk
Kilsyth
9 Parkfoot Street
Moodiesburn
17 Blackwoods Crescent
Motherwell
69-71 Merry Street
Shotts
162-164 Station Road
Viewpark
135 Burnhead Street
Wishaw
236 Main Street
First Stop Shops are open Mon to Thurs
8.45am to 4.45pm, and Fri 8.45am to
4.15pm. cash offices within First Stop Shops
are open Mon to Thurs 9am to 4.30pm and Fri
9am to 4pm. Moodiesburn cash office closes
between 1pm and 2pm. Contact Northline
for details.
NLC emergency out-of-hours
Social work standby services 0800 121 4114
24-hour repair reporting 0800 678 1166
Gas & solid fuel central heating
faults (24-hour service)
0845 606 1555
Other useful numbers
Disability advice
Benefits fraud hotline
Insurance fraud hotline
Crimestoppers
01698 274418
0800 953 0400
0800 328 9270
0800 555 111
get in touch
North Lanarkshire News is produced
by Corporate Communications,
North Lanarkshire Council, Civic
Centre, Windmillhill Street,
Motherwell ML1 1AB.
If you’d like to comment on any of
the stories in this edition, please
write to The Editor at Corporate
Communications, call 01698 302582
or email corporatecommunications@
northlan.gov.uk. Copies can also be
provided in large print, Braille, or on
audio cassette, and can be translated
into other community languages.
Provost Tom Curley marks the retiral of Gilbert Cox CVO MBE as Lord Lieutenant of
Lanarkshire during an event at Summerlee Museum.
I was honoured to attend a ceremony for
Gilbert Cox CVO MBE, the Lord Lieutenant
of Lanarkshire, who last month retired as
the Queen’s representative in the county.
A Chapelhall boy just like me, he
has been a dedicated and passionate
ambassador for Lanarkshire for many years.
Gibby has been a prominent figure,
attending hundreds of events across our
towns and has been a massive supporter of
countless community initiatives.
We have been together in an official
capacity on many occasions and his pride in
Lanarkshire, and care for the local people,
has been clear for all to see.
On behalf of the people of North
Lanarkshire, I wish him and his wife Marjory
all the best in his well-earned retirement.
Another well known local figure, Bishop
Joseph Devine recently celebrated his 50th
anniversary in the priesthood.
The Bishop has been a strong supporter
of community events and education, and I
was delighted to welcome him along to a
civic lunch to mark his special anniversary.
I also had the honour of officially
opening the 20th Annual Wishaw Games
at the beginning of August at the Sports
Centre.
More than 300 of Scotland’s most
talented athletes and sports people with
physical and learning disabilities took part
in the Games.
For the competitors themselves, the
Games were the culmination of a lot of hard
work and training and all the volunteers,
officials and supporting organisations made
sure it was once again a fantastic success.
Finally, I would like to take this
opportunity to wish all our school children
the best of luck for the coming year.
Councillor Tom Curley
North Lanarkshire Provost
Council awards £700m contracts
North Lanarkshire Council has selected
three preferred bidders to deliver roads,
property and central heating maintenance
for the next 10 years.
Negotiations to complete the contracts,
worth £700 million and delivering hundreds
of new jobs, are now being concluded.
The three successful bidders – Morrison
FS Ltd for property, Amey LG Ltd for roads
and ALH86 Ltd for central heating – will
now enter into joint venture agreements.
The council will own 33% of each joint
venture company.
As part of the tender process each of
the bidders had to advise on the potential
growth of the business and the community
benefits that could arise as a result.
Highlights of the bids include the
creation of more than 600 new jobs, new
opportunities for apprentices and people
in long-term unemployment and training
for hundreds of people in conjunction with
local colleges.
The joint ventures will also spend
more than £200 million with other local
businesses.
Learning and Leisure
Services hail top marks
A joint HMIe-council
report confirms the
very high standard
of self-evaluation in
Learning and Leisure
Services (LLS).
The report
describes the
approach as “both
rigorous and robust with a strong culture
of reflective practice and robust selfevaluation” and provides a very strong
endorsement of the council’s education
authority.
Between January and May 2010 LLS
and HMIe carried out the joint exercise to
scrutinise and support how the service
assesses its own performance.
Christine Pollock, Executive Director
of Learning and Leisure Services, said:
“Together with HMIe, groups of staff from
across the service, elected members and
a range of partners have been examining
key aspects of the work of the authority,
identifying strengths and key areas of
improvement with the aim of improving
outcomes for all learners.
“We are very pleased with the number of
strengths which have been highlighted and
encouraged that the areas of improvement
are those which have already been identified
by this service.
“I commend the hard work and
dedication of our staff recognised in this
report.”
To obtain a copy of the report, please
visit www.hmie.gov.uk.
•
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1...
NEW HOUSES IN CAMBUSNETHAN
for the construction industry and local
employment.”
The £2.2 million development in
Cambusnethan is being funded by the
council, with a contribution of £25,000 per
unit from the Scottish Government.
The design incorporates the council’s
current high standard of kitchen and
bathroom specifications, and aims
to minimise ongoing maintenance
requirements.
Wates Living Space are building
the development. Managing Director
Ian Burnett said: "We are delighted to
be working in partnership with North
Lanarkshire Council to provide not only
much needed new affordable, high quality
homes but to bring additional community
benefits, investing in local people and local
businesses."
As part of the programme, the first new
build homes at Main Street and Spruce
Way in Holytown were completed on time
and on budget. Work is already underway
at Ravenscraig, while the next few months
should see the start of work at Clarkston in
Airdrie and North Road, Cumbernauld.
www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk
North Lanarkshire News No. 70, September 2010
3
Kestrels, sticklebacks and nuthatches...
a day in the life of North Lanarkshire
by fiona shaw
When you think of birds of prey,
it would probably be flying over
the countryside or swooping
down from a tree. So it might be
a surprise to learn that a town
in North Lanarkshire is home to
peregrine falcons and kestrels.
Three blocks of flats in
Coatbridge have been adopted by
the birds, which have been nesting
on specially built ledges.
And this year the council’s
countryside rangers were
delighted to see five kestrel chicks
in a nest on one of the ledges.
“The high flats are ideal places
for these birds to nest and hunt
from,” explains Countryside
Ranger Jackie Gilliland.
“Peregrines, the fastest creature
on the planet, traditionally nest on
cliffs along our coastlines. But we
know from around the world they
will use a man-made ledge on a
high building.
“Although kestrels and
peregrines do nest elsewhere
in North Lanarkshire, suitable
locations are limited due to
persecution and lack of suitable
habitat. We have created the
ledges in Coatbridge to offer a safe
environment for these protected
species.”
The local community is looking
after its feathered neighbours.
Concierges in the flats monitor
the birds and report back to the
rangers, and when one of the
chicks fell out its nest, residents
spotted it and took it to the vet.
Thanks to their efforts and the
Ark Veterinary Group, the story
had a happy ending as our
rangers returned the chick
safely to its nest.
It’s appropriate the
chicks were born in 2010
as this is International
Year of Biodiversity.
It celebrates the
diversity of life on
Earth, including
every plant,
animal and
microorganism.
Across the
world hundreds of
events are taking
place; to find out
2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity.
In this special feature, we take a closer look at
the variety of life in North Lanarkshire.
Biodiversity Officer Laura Whyte, above, gets to grips with a bumble bee at Dalzell Estate in Motherwell. Laura and her colleagues were
taking part in B in the Park, a public event to promote the many conservation projects taking place in the estate.
what’s on in your area, visit
www.biodiversityislife.net.
Here in North Lanarkshire, we
have a wide variety of wildlife and,
like the falcons in Coatbridge,
it’s often not what or where you
would expect.
In a burn near Cumbernauld,
we discovered a rare species of
fish. The nine-spined stickleback –
the smallest freshwater fish in the
UK – is only known in a handful of
other locations in Scotland.
Our countryside ranger
and Greenspace Services
are carrying out a
conservation makeover
of the area where the
sticklebacks live. Ponds
will be constructed
and the surrounding
Kestrel chicks, above, in
Coatbridge. Countryside ranger
Jackie Gilliland, right, leads a
walk through Drumpellier Park.
burns carefully managed to create
a sustainable environment that
encourages the species to thrive.
A network of footpaths will allow
visitors to appreciate the wildlife.
Dalzell Estate in Motherwell is
one of the first places in Scotland
to be adopted by nuthatches.
Conserving our BIODIVERSITY
Our Biodiversity Action Plan is
designed to conserve and enhance
the habitats and species in North
Lanarkshire. We work with many
organisations, individuals and
community groups to deliver the plan.
If you have any questions or would like
to get involved, call Greenspace Services on 01236
780636 or visit www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk.
service
and people
first
Over the last three years, 18 chicks
have fledged and been ringed by
our countryside rangers. They
were delighted to learn that one
bird was spotted 114km away at
a garden feeder near Blairgowrie.
This is important news as most
of these tiny birds stay close to
where they are born and only
three others have been recorded
travelling over 100km. So our
little community of nuthatches in
Motherwell is helping the species
flourish elsewhere. If you see a
nuthatch in your garden, our
Countryside Rangers would like
to know to help them monitor the
birds.
Other birds which were ringed
in North Lanarkshire have travelled
across the globe – white pied
wagtails in Europe and Iceland,
two blackbirds were seen in
Norway and swallows from
Strathclyde Park were spotted in
Spain and Nigeria!
“Many people may be surprised
to learn about the variety of
wildlife in North Lanarkshire,” says
Laura Whyte, Biodiversity Officer.
“Although we have a lot of urban
areas, we also have wonderful
parks and green spaces which
are home to hundreds of species.
Through our Biodiversity Plan
we’re conserving and enhancing
our biodiversity – both the
common and rarer species.”
4
North Lanarkshire News No. 70, September 2010
A birthday start for all three year olds
THREE year olds will soon be able
to go to nursery immediately after
their birthday, rather than waiting
until the next school term.
“The change to the nursery
admissions policy is fairer and
guarantees that all three year olds
taking up a nursery place will now
enjoy six full terms of education
before they start school,”
explained Jim Logue, Convener of
Learning and Leisure Services.
“The new approach will also
deliver a more personalised
service, with children starting
nursery on an individual basis
rather than as part of a group. It
means that nursery staff can, in
line with our early intervention
principle, identify a child’s needs
at an earlier stage.”
To ensure consistency across
North Lanarkshire, this approach
is being adopted by our own
nurseries and private partner
nurseries.
The new policy does not apply
to children born in March or April
this year as their entitlement is
already six terms from August
2010.
For full details call AnneMarie Bready on 01236 812287.
•
Bookworms enjoy more time to browse
Book lovers in North Lanarkshire
now have an extra 50-hours
library time thanks to a change in
the opening hours.
From 6 September our six
main town centre libraries will
stay open until 7pm, with all
libraries now open on Wednesday
afternoons until at least 5pm.
Jim Logue, Convener of
Learning and Leisure Services,
explained: “We want to increase
1. love
2. patience
2
3. understanding
5
4. energy
5. flexibility
4
5
1
3
4
2
3
3
1
3
3
2
2
2
You can put the
colour back into
a child’s life.
Become a foster carer or
an adoptive parent and give
a child a brighter future.
northlanarkshire.gov.uk/
fosteringandadoption
0800 0731566
the number of people who use
our libraries and match opening
hours and services to our
customers’ needs.
“We carried out a thorough
review of our library provision
with the aim of improving service
for our users.
“Almost half of all our
customers asked for libraries to
open on Wednesday afternoons
and we’ve made this happen.”
A World of Sport at
Ravenscraig weekend
Sporting celebrities, taster
session fitness classes and an
attempt at the biggest ever Zumba
class – all part of a huge event at
the area’s newest sporting facility
at the end of this month.
Ravenscraig Regional Sports
Facility will open its doors from
Thursday 30 September until
Sunday 3 October for anyone who
wants to see what this state-ofthe-art centre has to offer.
The event kicks off – literally
– with a 24-hour football
tournament in aid of St Andrew’s
Hospice. It will feature guest
appearances from Real Radio’s
Ewen and Roughy who will
broadcast their football phone-in
show live from the venue before
going head to head in the football
tournament.
Saturday and Sunday will
feature a host of things to do, like
taster sessions for Body Training
Systems classes; childrens’
activities and that attempt to hold
the record-breaking Zumba class,
all accompanied by live coverage
from Real Radio.
So dust off your trainers, look
out your sports socks and get up
to Ravenscraig Regional Sports
Facility for a weekend of fitness
and fun!
For more information about
the event, visit www.nlleisure.
co.uk. Tickets are available from
Real Radio at www.realradioscotland.co.uk.
•
Real Radio’s Ewen and Roughy will host their
phone-in show live from Ravenscraig.
Ravenscraig reborn
Rising from the ashes of the former
steelworks, the £32 million facility
will serve the local community
and provide a training ground for
competitive athletes.
It features an indoor artificial
football pitch, a sports hall,
gymnasium, athletics hall and
dance studios as well as outdoor
pitches, including one full-size
pitch and six five-a-side pitches.
Ravenscraig will be a key venue
for Lanarkshire’s 2011 International
Children’s Games and will be used
as a training ground for Scottish
athletes bidding to take part in the
London Olympics and Glasgow’s
Commonwealth Games.
Council Leader Jim McCabe
said: “It’s been a real pleasure
watching this iconic building
gradually transform the once
derelict landscape of Ravenscraig.
“Now that it is open, it will
provide the people of North
Lanarkshire with some of the best
sporting facilities in the UK and
will help encourage our young
people to adopt a healthy lifestyle
through sports.
“Along with the opening of the
new Motherwell College campus,
this project demonstrates our
commitment to realising the
vision of creating a new thriving
community at Ravenscraig.”
Alan Warner, author of
acclaimed novel Morvern Callar,
is making his first appearance at
Words 2010.
many events aimed specifically at
children and families.
Lending Services Manager
Catriona Wales said: “Over the
last four years, Words has really
established itself on the cultural
calendar.
“With an appearance by
literary heavyweight Alan Warner;
Denise Mina and Louise Welsh
satisfying the crime enthusiasts
and some diverse events like
Alan Brown’s talk on The Wicker
Man, this year’s festival is sure to
appeal to everyone.”
Words 2010 is supported by
the National Lottery through the
Scottish Arts Council.
For more information call
01698 332606 or visit
www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk.
The Word is out about
this year’s festival line-up
Lanarkshire’s premier literary
festival, Words 2010, returns this
year for another month-long
celebration of books and writing.
Now in its fifth year, the festival
runs throughout October offering
its usual mix of big-name writers
and arts events.
This year’s line-up includes
Denise Mina, author of the
‘Garnethill Trilogy’; Scottish writer
and actor Tony Roper; Gaelic
singer Anne Lorne Gilles and
labour historian Rob Duncan.
Professor David Wilson, Britain’s
best known criminologist, is
making a special appearance to
discuss the link between Peter
Tobin and Bible John, and Allan
Brown will be discussing cult film,
The Wicker Man.
Providing local flavour, writer
Robert Duncan is running three
workshops on the history of
steelmaking and mining in
Lanarkshire.
Events take place at libraries,
schools and other venues
across North Lanarkshire. As
well as contributions from such
distinguished writers, Words offers
something for everyone with
•
www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk
North Lanarkshire News No. 70, September 2010
5
Community groups
hail Beautiful start to
this year’s campaign
North Lanarkshire’s campaign for this year’s Beautiful Scotland
awards is now complete, with judges visiting communities
across the area to see the work being done by local people.
After last year’s success, when we were given 20 awards in
the main campaign and 22 Neighbourhood Awards, we’re
hoping for an equally positive result for the 2010 campaign.
We asked you to keep us posted about your efforts, and this
month we’re bringing you the stories of two dedicated groups
from Cumbernauld.
Wild about the Community Park
Barney Kinsler and Mike Ogden,
Chairman and Treasurer of
the Friends of Cumbernauld
Community Park group, met with
us to show the group’s handiwork.
We visited the wildflower
meadow in the Community
Park, as well as taking a walk to
the ancient Via Flavia, created
to service the more famous
Antonine Road, and now suitably
signposted thanks to the group.
The Park covers 84 hectares of
land; 6km of walking and cycling
paths have been put in place;
a local fun day brings in 5,500
visitors every year and a link has
been created between all the
surrounding communities.
“All this has been created from
fields that had become overgrown
and impassible,” said Barney.
“Now it’s a fantastic green space
everyone can enjoy.
“It’s been a massive community
effort, and we’ve had a lot of
involvement from local schools
– not just St Andrews and
Cumbernauld Primary, which is
right next to the Park, but also
Eastfield Primary. The pupils
walked all the way along to the
Park to help us plant the trees.
“More people get involved
every year, and we’ve worked
closely with the council,
particularly with roads and
land services. We’re grateful to
everyone who has played a part in
getting us to this stage, and we’ve
still got plenty of plans for the
future, so watch this space!”
Preserving Lang Riggs
Cumbernauld
Village
Community
Council has
also been
working to
enhance
the local
environment and preserve an
important historical feature.
The efforts of the group have
ensured the Lang Riggs – some
of the last historical long, narrow
gardens or farming land in
Scotland – have been cleared of
the overgrowth and litter that had
completely hidden them from
sight.
“You wouldn’t have
known the Riggs were
here,” said community
Barney Kinsler and Mike Ogden,
above, Chairman and Treasurer
of the Friends of Cumbernauld
Community Park group show
off their wildflower meadow in
the Community Park. Beautiful
Scotland judges, right, on the
campaign trail in Glenboig.
Members of Cumbernauld
Village Community Council, left,
take time out from their work at
Lang Riggs.
council member Gillian Connolly,
who along with fellow member
Nancy McEwan met us to show us
what had been achieved. “They
were completely overgrown and
almost forgotten.
“We’ve got them cleared and
we’ve got some great plans about
how to preserve them for the
future.”
As well as new planting, those
plans involve information signage
around the Riggs and eventually
having community allotments.
Work to repair and preserve the
stone walls has
already taken
place.
Get involved in the campaign
Without your help, North Lanarkshire wouldn’t have
achieved the success it has in the campaign. If you’d like
to get more involved, contact your local community
council or visit the Beautiful Scotland website
at www.beautifulscotland.org.
We’d like to hear about your
projects. Tell us why you think North
Lanarkshire is Beautiful by writing
to The Editor, NL News, Chief Executive’s Office,
Civic Centre, Motherwell ML1 1AB; or email
corporatecommunications@northlan.gov.uk.
It’s
also part of a
regular patrol – or
‘stewardship’
for the council’s
countryside
rangers, who will
keep an eye on it
and arrange to sort
out any issues as they
arise.
“There’s still a long way to
go,” said Oliver Allen, also of the
community council. “But we’ve
already come pretty far and we’re
looking forward to seeing our
plans come to life.
“We’ve had so much help
from so many people, including
the Cumbernauld Village Action
for the Community Group
and we plan to involve local
schoolchildren, and it’s great to
see their efforts being rewarded.”
What it’s all about?
48 community groups have
now been visited by Beautiful
Scotland as part of this year’s
campaign.
The council entered 17
communities into the main
campaign, which aims to find
the communities that have been
most successful in improving the
attractiveness, cleanliness and
sustainability of their town, city
or village.
Each community is assessed
on the design, quality and
maintenance of horticultural
displays; sustainable development
and biodiversity initiatives like
projects to conserve energy,
protect wildlife, promote green
transport and encourage
recycling, re-use and composting;
environmental quality – eg the
absence of litter, dog fouling,
graffiti, fly-posting and weeds and
community involvement.
We’ve also supported
31 groups in the ‘It’s Your
Neighbourhood’ campaign,
which provides an opportunity for
smaller teams to get involved in
the wider Beautiful Scotland and
Britain in Bloom initiatives.
This part of the campaign is
aimed at volunteer-led community
gardening projects or groups,
which aim to clean up – and green
up – their local area, whether that
be their housing estate; a piece of
communal ground or the space
outside a community building.
It’s an inclusive, noncompetitive scheme which
welcomes groups of all shapes
and sizes. It is all about bringing
members of the community
together to make a positive
change to the place where they
live, work or spend their
leisure time.
6
North Lanarkshire News No. 70, September 2010
The fully accessible
path winds its way
from Craighalbert
to Craigmarloch.
Cumbernauld ‘snake’ path opens
Walkers, cyclists and
wheelchair users
celebrate the new
£500,000 path
by andrew craney
A fully accessible cycle and
walking path has opened in
Cumbernauld.
Stretching more than two
kilometres and enjoying stunning
views, the snake-shaped
path meanders its way from
Craighalbert to Craigmarloch.
The path is the final part of
a £500,000 partnership project
involving the council, the Scottish
Spina Bifida Association and
Sustrans, the sustainable transport
charity.
Councillor Mark Griffin,
Vice Convener of Planning
and Transportation, attended
the opening. He said: “The
completion of this project
provides a great recreational area
for locals and visitors to enjoy
and is an outstanding example of
partnership working.”
The three-metres wide
tarmac path was designed to be
wheelchair and cycle friendly and
passes the Scottish Spina Bifida
Association Head Office and
the Scottish Centre for Children
with Motor Impairments. It
incorporates three rest areas,
complete with benches allowing
wheelchair users and their carers
to have regular breaks.
Andrew Wynd, CEO of the
Scottish Spina Bifida Association,
said: “We were delighted to be
involved with the planning, design
and construction of the path,
and have worked in partnership
with Friends of Cumbernauld
Community Park and the council
to make sure that it was DDA
(disability) compliant.
“The new path is not only
a great asset to the local
community, but also to our users,
many of whom are affected by
spinal bifida and hydrocephalus
and attend our family support
centre. Recently, we had almost
50 of our young adults, many
Countdown on to
Children’s Games
The one-year countdown to the
Lanarkshire 2011 International
Children’s Games has officially
begun with the unveiling of a
countdown clock at the Scottish
Parliament and Motherwell FC’s
Fir Park stadium.
Alex Neil MSP joined
Councillors Jim Smith and
Jackie Burns, joint chairs of the
Lanarkshire 2011 International
Children’s Games Organising
Committee, to unveil the official
countdown clock at Holyrood.
The clock was then unveiled
at Fir Park, venue of the Games’
opening ceremony, at half
time during the Motherwell v
Aalesunds Europa League thirdround qualifier.
Councillor Jim Smith said:
“Unveiling the official clock at
who are wheelchair users, testing
out the route for themselves and
we had incredible feedback, with
very positive comments on the
accessibility and brilliant views.
“We were proud to be part
of this community project and I
would have to conclude that this
particular pathway is one of the
Joan and Jim Brown from
Cumbernauld enjoy the views
from the new path.
Holyrood is fantastic as it gives the
Games marvellous exposure to an
international audience.
“This is a golden decade of
sport for Britain, and especially
Scotland, and we’re delighted to
be kicking that off in Lanarkshire.”
The Games will see up to 1,500
competitors aged 12 to 15 from
more than 70 countries head to
Lanarkshire for the event in August
2011.
Full details about the 2011
International Children’s Games,
including volunteer application
forms, can be found at
www.icg-lanarkshire2011.com.
•
finest I have seen in terms of its
accessibility, location, practicality
and safety, and is a testament to
what can be achieved when real
partnership and understanding is
shared.”
This new path will enable
children from both of these units
to be taken out to the adjacent
park areas and the local shops.
Part of the area was constructed
from the rubble pile from the
land excavated to build the new
Cumbernauld and St Andrew’s
Primary Schools and it now
provides a safe and sustainable
access route to the 900 pupils at
the schools.
Michael Ogden, Treasurer
of the Friends of Cumbernauld
Community Park, which has been
fully behind the project, added:
“The views from the rest points
are stunning and the completion
of the path is a fantastic resource
for the local community, creating
a much sought-after recreational
and commuter access into
Cumbernauld Community Park
and woodland walks.”
Getting the
benefit again
Making sure benefits are only
paid to people who need them
is one of the council’s main
responsibilities.
Each year, benefit fraud costs
the UK more that £1.1 billion.
Fraudsters steal money from those
who need it most and it’s the
ordinary tax payer who foots the
bill.
The council’s latest campaign to
tackle fraud kicks off next month
with a data matching exercise,
part of Audit Scotland’s National
Fraud Initiative.
The last detection exercise
in 2008 netted over £400,000
worth of fraud after comparing
data at different public sector
agencies. Audit Manager Ken
Adamson explains: “Our previous
campaigns have been extremely
succesful, not just in identifying
benefits overpayments but
generating publicity about our
work, which acts as an important
deterrant to anyone thinking
about committing fraud.
“We start the process again in
October when we’ll be comparing
information we hold on public
sector staff, housing and council
tax benefit applicants, council
tenants, certain types of license
holder and blue badge holders.
“We will then start investigating
any matches that arise.”
For more information about
the campaign, visit www.
northlanarkshire.gov.uk or call
internal audit on 01698 302297
for an information pack.
•
Motherwell
U-17 players
Jack Leitch, Ross
Stuart and Paul
McCafferty,
who won gold
as part of the
Team Lanarkshire
football team
at the Manama
Games, unveil the
countdown clock
at Fir Park.
www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk
North Lanarkshire News No. 70, September 2010
7
Getting outdoors is child’s play
New DVD celebrating the benefits of outdoor
learning and play is launched at Summerlee
by colin fraser
Celebrating our children’s right
to play – that’s the idea behind
the national Playday campaign,
supported by the council.
Each year, thousands of
children and young people get
out and play at locally organised
events. In North Lanarkshire, our
major Playday event took place at
Summerlee Museum on 4 August.
At the event, we took the
opportunity to launch a new
training DVD ‘Unwrapping the
Cotton Wool Kids’.
“The resource is aimed at
people who work with children
and young people and highlights
Children enjoy the Playday
event at Summerlee.
the importance of outdoor play
and controlled risk taking as
part of a child’s development,”
explained Christine Pollock,
Executive Director of Learning
and Leisure Services. “We hope it
encourages parents and carers to
talk about this subject.”
According to a 2009 ICM
opinion poll, nearly three-quarters
of parents (72%) want more time
to play with their children or to
take them places to play.
However, more than half of
parents (52%) feel that work, or
other unavoidable commitments,
limit their time to support their
children to play.
Minister for Children and Early
Years, Adam Ingram, also attended
the launch and congratulated
North Lanarkshire’s investment
in developing outdoor play and
learning. He said: “Play is vitally
important for children’s health,
wellbeing and development.
It also helps develop their
imagination, creativity and social
skills, while teaching them how
to assess and understand risk.
However, over the years, society
has become more risk averse and
as a result too many children
are missing out on the type of
physical play which previous
generations enjoyed.
“We need to redress this
Melissa gets set to tackle the world
Kilysth-based active schools coordinator Melissa Berry gets ready
for the Women’s Rugby World Cup, which is being held in London.
Melissa, who captains the Wales team, works with school pupils and
the wider community to offer children opportunities to get involved
in physical activity and sport.
A still from the training DVD
‘Unwrapping the Cotton Wool Kids’.
balance because if we continue
to wrap our children up in
cotton wool, we are not only
ensuring that they miss out on an
important part of childhood but
are also holding them back.
“I’m delighted to be involved
in the launch of this new training
DVD which encourages and
supports the development of
outdoor play in North Lanarkshire
for the benefit of local children
and young people.”
North Lanarkshire has
supported Playday for the past
ten years. This year’s theme, ‘Our
place’, puts children
at the heart of our
communities,
and asks
everyone to
help create
better places
for all of us to
live and play.
For more
information
about the
DVD, call
early years and
childcare on
01236 812281.
•
Opening the doors to Lanarkshire’s heritage
Many of Lanarkshire’s most
interesting buildings are throwing
open their doors to the public on
11 and 12 September as part of
Doors Open Day 2010.
The annual event, which
takes place throughout Scotland
aims to raise the profile of local
architecture and cultural heritage,
allowing residents and visitors
to visit buildings that are not
normally open to the public,
completely free of charge.
North and South Lanarkshire
councils are hosting this year’s
weekend, which brings together
60 buildings and a number of
events that promote the built and
natural heritage.
As well as visiting buildings,
people will also have an
opportunity to take part in tours
Colzium
House near
Kilysth is
one of 60
buildings
taking part
in Doors
Open Day.
and guided walks and enjoy
exhibitions and refreshments.
Buildings taking part include
some family favourites – North
Lanarkshire fire stations and
Airdrie Library, including the
renovated Obseratory.
This year sees several new
participants including the Albert
Bartlett Ltd potato factory and the
Scottish Centre for Children with
Motor Impairments.
For full details pick up a
leaflet from participating
buildings, council offices,
libraries and First Stop Shops;
call 01236 618127 or visit
www.doorsopendays.org.uk.
•
8
Free Gaelic classes
If you’re interested in learning
Scotland’s native tongue,
Gaelic classes are now available
throughout North Lanarkshire.
The free classes for beginners
and intermediate learners run for
10 weeks.
For more information, call
Gaelic Co-ordinator Janette
Smith on 01236 812632 or email
smithjane@northlan.gov.uk.
•
Course to help
people into work
Unemployed people are
being offered a free personal
development course to help them
get back to work.
The course provides
communication and group-work
skills and covers a 40-hour module
on work. Those taking part will
receive a recognised qualification.
It runs one day per week for 10
weeks from 9am until 3pm; a free
crèche, lunch and transport are
also provided.
Courses will be held where
demand is highest and are for
people aged 16 to 64 years.
For more information, call
our community learning and
development team on
01236 812638 or 812633.
•
New community
activity clubs
Children with additional support
needs can look forward to three
new community activity clubs.
Designed for school-aged
children, the clubs offer a variety
of fun sports activities including
basketball, badminton, tri golf,
boccia, tennis and athletics, as well
as dance and fitness activities.
The clubs run for 14 weeks from
w/c 6 September to 13 December,
except w/c 11 October.
The clubs cost £2 per session or
£20 for the 14-week block.
Parents/carers and siblings are
welcome to attend. If a child has
personal care needs a parent/carer
must remain with their child.
The clubs take place as follows:
Motherwell – Tue, 4pm – 5pm at
Braidhurst High School.
Coatbridge – Wed, 4pm – 5pm,
St Andrew’s High School
Cumbernauld – Thursday, 4pm
– 5pm, St Maurice’s High School,
Westfield.
For more information or to
book a place, call Active Schools
Coordinator Lisa Johnson on
01236 757657 ext. 5256.
•
North Lanarkshire News No. 70, September 2010
Teenagers turn on the style
Kids enjoy fashion show
with a healthy message
Laura Kerr from Viewpark
was one of 13 young people
who volunteered their time
for the fashion show.
by ANDREW CRANEY
For Lanarkshire’s young people,
it was a chance to dust off the
glad rags and strut their stuff on
the catwalk, thanks to a fabulous
under 18s fashion show.
How to Look Good Fully
Clothed was organised by the
council’s community learning and
development team, and combined
a fun night out with advice on
health, drug and alcohol issues.
“The idea for the event came
from discussions with kids at
Hypeunders – the under 18s disco
at The Mega Bar in Motherwell.
Young people were asked what
type of event they would like, and
the most popular response was for
a fashion show,” explained youth
worker Gillian McCairn.
“We invited a number of
organisations including LANDED
and NHS Lanarkshire to provide
advice and information on issues
that affect young people.
“Staff provided tips on the
most appropriate way for young
people to dress for their age and
burns that can be received from
sunbeds,” she added.
Participants also enjoyed
hair and beauty advice, spray
Rhianna Rundell, Chloe Mulvey
and Connie Pearce from peereducation service LANDED
provided health advice.
tan demonstrations, free UV
facepainting and competitions.
Christine Pollock, Executive
Director of Learning and Leisure
Services, was there to support the
event. She said: “This was a great
evening out for the young people.
“Our youth team put in a huge
amount of effort to get this show
on, providing some invaluable
health tips and information on
drugs and alcohol.”
Award winning
Earlier this year, Gillian and her
fellow youth worker Marita
Dominici were crowned Innovator
of the Year at the National Youth
Worker Awards for their work at
the Mega Bar.
Judges praised their the How
to Look Good Fully Clothed event,
which enabled young people to
access health-related information
while gaining the confidence and
skills associated with modelling.
Gillian and Marita provided
advice and information to
the young people on health
matters, building self esteem and
confidence, and personal safety.
For more information about
youth work in Motherwell, call
Gillian on 01698 403830.
•
Triple delight for Cambusnethan
CUMBERNAULD 10K 2010
AND ChiLDREN’S 1K & 3K
for information and registration
please contact: 01236 437756
www.nlleisure.co.uk
Sunday 12th September 2010
Broadwood Stadium
First race starts 10am
P1 teacher Ishabel Balmer from Cambusnethan Primary School in
Wishaw watches on as five-year-old triplets Melissa, Cameron and
Sophie Abernethy enjoy their first day at school. This year’s new
starts also included five sets of twins at John Paul II Primary School
in Uddingston. Head teacher Margaret Brady said: “It’s a unique
occasion when we welcome five sets of twins. It is a special day for
them and all our new P1 children starting school. Parents, pupils
and staff are looking forward to many happy years ahead.”
service and people first